God is sovereign

If thou be just and upright, Surely then he will watch over thee, and make thy innocent dwelling happy (Job 8:6).

On the subject of grace, Jews have always expressed themselves in the conditional tense, unlike Christians, who all too often use the future or compound past tenses: "Yes, the Lord will do it...; He has already done it...; God has already given; etc.". These are all statements that are often found in the mouths of Christians. Why do Jews prefer to speak in the conditional tense?

As for Christians, they're not at all wrong to speak so confidently. After all, if you read the Bible, you'll find many promises and prophecies. It's God's Word, and it always comes true. But there's one detail that Christians don't seem to know. Every promise has a condition for fulfillment. God said to Cain: Genesis 4:7: "Surely, if you do well, you will lift up your face...". In Psalms 1:1, it says: "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked..."

On the one hand, God's promised graces, and on the other, the conditions for their fulfillment.

The right attitude is to express oneself in the conditional tense. This does not reflect a lack of faith, but highlights God's sovereignty in the fulfillment of His promises. James teaches here: "You should say, on the contrary: If God wills, we shall live, and we shall do this or that." (James 4:15)
 

P. Clémentine